Golar LNG SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH ERMA FIRST TO INSTALL BWTS

Oslo based Golar LNG has agreed with ERMA FIRST, to install a Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) on up to 16 LNG vessels.

The first installations of ERMA FIRST BWTS is expected to take place during the company’s next dry-docking scheduled for the second quarter of 2018. The installation of the system will continue until the end of 2022 following the shipping company’s dry-docking schedule.

Golar LNG has worked intensively with ERMA FIRST over the previous months to optimize and adapt the individual systems to the company’s vessels.

“We decided to install ERMA FIRST BWTS, which is designed and produced in Greece, starting at an early stage which provides us with certain commercial and financial advantages, including availability of equipment, minimization of downtime, unrestricted worldwide trading in the following years and the financial benefits of a block order,”

Oistein Dahl, COO at Golar LNG

ERMA FIRST BWTS became the first full flow electrolysis system, that received the United States Coast Guard (the USCG) type approval certificate in October 2017.

The Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention entered into force on September 8, 2017. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had adopted a similar regulation for ballast water treatment which became effective on January 1, 2016.
Under the rules of the IMO convention, all ships engaged in international trade are required to manage their ballast water to avoid the introduction of alien species into coastal areas, including exchanging their ballast water or treating it using an approved ballast water management system.

ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT is an advanced modular system developed to exceed all special installation requirements either for New Building vessels or any retrofit projects. Covering an extensive capacity range of 50-3740 m3/hr, ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT is a simple solution suitable for all types and sizes of vessels. The major components of the system are a high-end backwash filter and an electrolytic cell with outstanding performance under the most demanding conditions. The self-cleaning automatic screen filter has a nominal filtration rate of 40 microns. For the de-ballasting of the vessel there is no need to use the system; It is completely by-passed and the water can be discharged directly overboard, after neutralization where applicable, with considerable gains in energy saving for the operators/managers of the vessel. Using an active substance that is produced by the method of electrolysis, any danger for re-growth of microorganisms is eliminated.

ERMA FIRST’s design simplicity and expertise on delivering challenging projects, has been well acknowledged by many ship-owners and operators who have already trusted the company with their newbuilds and retrofit installations. Nowadays, ERMA FIRST has a prestigious reference list comprised of ship-owners and shipyards worldwide such as in Greece, China, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Japan, Korea, US, Denmark, UK, Germany.

About ERMA FIRST

ERMA FIRST S.A. was established in 2009 by a team of specialists with strong background and expertise in waste and water treatment technology in Marine applications. Driven by the maritime needs and regulations, and monitoring the Environmental Protection challenges, the company started designing and manufacturing ballast water treatment systems. Being successfully tested in the most prominent test facilities, ERMA FIRST systems are certified and have been awarded prizes for technological achievement many times through the years. ERMA FIRST technology uses a 40 μm filtration followed by efficient full flow electrolysis.